Leonhard A Bakker1,2, Carin D Schröder2,3, Lauriane A Spreij2, Marianne Verhaegen4, Joke De Vocht4, Philip Van Damme4,5,6, Jan H Veldink1, Johanna M A Visser-Meily2,3, Leonard H van den Berg1, Tanja C W Nijboer2,3,7, Michael A van Es1. 1. a Department of Neurology , Brain Centre Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Centre Utrecht , Utrecht , The Netherlands. 2. b Centre of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine, Brain Centre Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University and De Hoogstraat Rehabilitation , Utrecht , The Netherlands. 3. c Department of Rehabilitation, Physical Therapy Science, and Sports Medicine , Brain Centre Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Centre Utrecht , Utrecht , The Netherlands. 4. d Department of Neurology , University Hospitals Leuven , Leuven , Belgium. 5. e Department of Neurosciences , Experimental Neurology and Leuven Institute for Neuroscience and Disease , Leuven , Belgium. 6. f VIB, Center for Brain & Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology , Leuven , Belgium. 7. g Department of Experimental Psychology , Utrecht University , Utrecht , The Netherlands.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Edinburgh cognitive and behavioral ALS screen (ECAS) was developed specifically to detect cognitive and behavioral changes in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Differences with regard to normative data of different (language) versions of neuropsychological tests such as the ECAS exist. OBJECTIVE: To derive norms for the Dutch version of the ECAS. METHODS: Normative data were derived from a large sample of 690 control subjects and cognitive profiles were compared between a matched sample of 428 patients with ALS and 428 control subjects. RESULTS: Age, level of education, and sex were significantly associated with performance on the ECAS in the normative sample. ECAS data were not normally distributed and therefore normative data were expressed as percentile ranks. The comparison of ECAS scores between patients and control subjects demonstrated that patients obtained significantly lower scores for language, executive function, verbal fluency, and memory, which is in line with the established cognitive profile of ALS. CONCLUSION: For an accurate interpretation of ECAS results, it is important to derive normative data in large samples with nonparametric methods. The present normative data provide healthcare professionals with an accurate estimate of how common or uncommon patients' ECAS scores are and provide a useful supplement to existing cut-off scores.
BACKGROUND: The Edinburgh cognitive and behavioral ALS screen (ECAS) was developed specifically to detect cognitive and behavioral changes in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Differences with regard to normative data of different (language) versions of neuropsychological tests such as the ECAS exist. OBJECTIVE: To derive norms for the Dutch version of the ECAS. METHODS: Normative data were derived from a large sample of 690 control subjects and cognitive profiles were compared between a matched sample of 428 patients with ALS and 428 control subjects. RESULTS: Age, level of education, and sex were significantly associated with performance on the ECAS in the normative sample. ECAS data were not normally distributed and therefore normative data were expressed as percentile ranks. The comparison of ECAS scores between patients and control subjects demonstrated that patients obtained significantly lower scores for language, executive function, verbal fluency, and memory, which is in line with the established cognitive profile of ALS. CONCLUSION: For an accurate interpretation of ECAS results, it is important to derive normative data in large samples with nonparametric methods. The present normative data provide healthcare professionals with an accurate estimate of how common or uncommon patients' ECAS scores are and provide a useful supplement to existing cut-off scores.
Entities:
Keywords:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Edinburgh cognitive and behavioral ALS screen; cognitive dysfunction; normative data
Authors: Joke De Vocht; Jeroen Blommaert; Martijn Devrome; Ahmed Radwan; Donatienne Van Weehaeghe; Maxim De Schaepdryver; Jenny Ceccarini; Ahmadreza Rezaei; Georg Schramm; June van Aalst; Adriano Chiò; Marco Pagani; Daphne Stam; Hilde Van Esch; Nikita Lamaire; Marianne Verhaegen; Nathalie Mertens; Koen Poesen; Leonard H van den Berg; Michael A van Es; Rik Vandenberghe; Mathieu Vandenbulcke; Jan Van den Stock; Michel Koole; Patrick Dupont; Koen Van Laere; Philip Van Damme Journal: JAMA Neurol Date: 2020-08-01 Impact factor: 18.302
Authors: Hannelore K van der Burgh; Henk-Jan Westeneng; Renée Walhout; Kevin van Veenhuijzen; Harold H G Tan; Jil M Meier; Leonhard A Bakker; Jeroen Hendrikse; Michael A van Es; Jan H Veldink; Martijn P van den Heuvel; Leonard H van den Berg Journal: Neurology Date: 2020-05-15 Impact factor: 9.910